Pride of Your Soul
Chapter 37: End of the Journey
AN: We're finally here. The final chapter of Pride of Your Soul. It was a long four years (sorry about that), but we finally reached the end. Sorry this was later than usual, I blame Fire Emblem (Three Houses is a fun game). There were its ups and downs, and this story, along with other things, was what kept me going through a rather tough time in my life, but here we are now.
FantasyLover88: Thanks! Glad you liked it. Here's the final chapter for ya!
Tony Anderson: The mystery man's identity was revealed last chapter though...regardless, thank you! Here's the finale!
TheDarkMaster4000: Thanks for sticking with me the whole way. Honestly your constant positive words helped me out through some tough times. I'm glad I was able to deliver the whole way.
dumbgumshoe: Thank you! Glad you liked the finishing set up!
Jeck: Thank you! Glad you liked the story and I'm flattered you think of me on such a high pedestal. I hope to meet the expectations of you and everyone else who enjoys my stories moving forward as well.
And to answer your question, the pokeball that caught Kyurem was actually disabled, so Nate couldn't send him out. A case like this was shown in the anime when Ash caught his sewaddle when he had a full party. And yes in this world, if you have a full party, then the pokeball should have been transferred to the owner's PC (this was demonstrated when Hugh caught Nate's team when they were forcibly released from him). Nate, however, doesn't have one. He never established one or found a reason to establish one (he will have to later though), thus the pokeball was disabled instead.
IanAlphaAxel: Thanks you!
WarriorElise: Glad you liked my story and didn't drop it haha. And to answer your question, yes the form that Mewtwo used to destroy the Entralink was Mega Mewtwo Y. But no one else knows that. And yes, Platinum Witch/Fidelity will finally make a return after God knows how long I left them to rot!
Acethe69th: I know, it's kinda surreal to me that the final chapter is here...what a journey indeed.
Guest: LOL glad you liked the chapters that popped up while you were away.
And now...the finale.
The Challenger's Cave.
A secluded cave located in Route 9, famously known for the slew of powerful wild Fighting-types that resided in the cave, making it an ideal location for those who wished to train against the Fighting-types. Although as of recent, there had been rumors of one, particularly strong and vicious Pokémon who had made the cave its residence. Many trainers had tried to challenge the beast, but it rose victorious every time, scaring off the challengers. Eventually the cave was isolated, devoid of human contact.
Within the deepest parts of the cave, one lone Pokémon was meditating in the middle of the catacombs. The Pokémon was a tall, gray humanoid Pokémon with vaguely feline-like features, two short, blunt horns and a long purple tail. This was the Pokémon who terrorized the humans out of the cave. While it may have been seen as an act of voluntary aggression, it was merely to vacate the humans from the cave. He had never really liked human contact; he was still wary of them. Old grudges die hard, as they say. He was working on it however, as he was aware that not all humans were like the ones that had created him for the sake of power.
With the cave having been rid of all human presences, the Pokémon could concentrate on his own thoughts in solitary peace.
...At least, he could have, before he heard the footsteps of someone undeniably human.
"So this is where you've been, Mewtwo."
Mewtwo glanced back. The sight of a woman with long brown hair, white hat, sleeveless light blue shirt and red skirt registered to him.
"…Hmph, so it's you," Mewtwo muttered. "Good work out there."
"Likewise," the woman said, before huffing. "But a little warning before you suddenly kidnap us would be nice, y'know. I mean we would've helped anyways but being thrown into the middle of a blitzkrieg and then a giant island crashing down on the place isn't something you just throw us into and just say, 'go help'."
"You all were fine," Mewtwo merely said, leading the woman to sigh in disbelief.
"...What were you doing here anyways? All the way out here in Unova?" the woman asked.
"Kanto was compromised," Mewtwo said. "So I left for another location to train myself."
"So that was that thing you used to destroy that island?" she asked.
"Psystrike..." Mewtwo explained. "That is the technique I can claim as my own. A move not born from the greed of those who created me, but my very own creation; one that I can truly say is my own."
She had been able to witness the gigantic mass of land dissipate into dust from where she was. She could only shudder at imagining just how powerful that technique was, especially since she knew that Mewtwo would have taken the necessary steps to optimize the power output to the max possible limit.
She would not want to be on the receiving end of that move; that was for sure.
"So," the woman decided to ask. "What made you go out of your way to help save Unova in the first place? Was it simply because you happened to be here?"
"What other reason would there be?" Mewtwo scoffed. His own home (at the time being) was being threatened, so of course he would retaliate. Seeing countless innocent lives die also left a sour taste in his mouth.
"Fair enough," she nodded, before following up with the next inquiry. "Well, according to Red, you didn't do that alone. Knowing you, you could've destroyed it within the first minute. But you didn't; you had to keep that island up for a while before destroying it. That meant there was something up there that had to be dealt with. Yellow and I were busy protecting some cities, while Red and Blue were your bodyguards. So who did you get to help you?"
Mewtwo did not answer immediately, lowering his head to ponder. Indeed, with his immense power, destroying that giant rock would have been child's play, as he had demonstrated. From an outside perspective, there would have been no need to hold it up for so long.
There was, however, a justification. Unbeknownst to many, there was one rather annoying obstacle that would have gotten in his way should he have tried to destroy the island. While Mewtwo was confident in his abilities to fend off the dragon, he was not as confident in finishing him off in time before the island ravaged the land below. That was why he needed another outside party to deal with, and defeat, the dragon.
"Hmph, someone who happened to be aware of the situation and was capable enough to stop it," Mewtwo replied evenly.
"Is that right," the woman said in amusement. "You of all Pokémon? Entrusted such a big and important task to some random human?"
Mewtwo shot the woman an irritated glare, fully aware of the irony in her statement. He had been one of the wariest of humans, and yet he had indeed entrusted a random human he had never met before with the task of stopping that dragon, even presenting him with a foreign power that should not be entrusted to random humans so easily. Had anything went wrong during that fiasco, then all would have been lost. There was too much of a risk to let a random human be the main piece in his plan to stop the destruction of Unova.
And yet he did just that. And why that boy of all people? Surely the land had other, stronger trainers to offer. But something about that boy clicked with Mewtwo when he first saw him. There was a darkness within his heart; one that resembled Mewtwo's own darkness and hatred within his heart. While it may be a bit of a stretch, Mewtwo saw a part of himself within the boy. The Psychic-type being decided to place all his eggs in this one basket that was the boy, because he felt kindred with him.
Fortunately for Mewtwo, his faith was paid off, and the boy proved to not only have overcome that darkness that clouded his humanity but was able to unlock the power Mewtwo had given him and defeat the dragon.
"Well I'm not gonna judge, since it panned out and all," the woman said, much to Mewtwo's relief. "So then, now what're you gonna do?"
"...Perhaps move house," Mewtwo said. "I have revealed myself to the public. While people may not have noticed me due to the chaos that was ensuing, I will not take any chances. I have achieved the technique I wanted anyways."
"So where're you gonna go now?"
"Perhaps to another far-off region. Yes, that one region where this other technique originated from. Perhaps there I can learn more about these new forms of mine."
The woman glanced down to the strange stone embezzled into her wristband. So he was talking about that, huh...
"So? What about you lot?" Mewtwo addressed the woman. Do you wish for me to take you all back to Kanto?"
"Hm? Hmmm," she wondered. "Eh, we'll probably stay around for a little longer. Blue did mention this tournament that's coming up in like three months or something. All the strongest trainers from across the regions were invited, so like all the champions."
"So would that include you?" Mewtwo asked with some curiosity.
In response, she stuck her tongue out playfully as she revealed an envelope from her bag, which was all Mewtwo needed to see to confirm his question.
"I guess we were going to come back here eventually," she remarked.
"You lot plan to stay here until this tournament happens?" Mewtwo asked.
"Yep," she replied. "We didn't get to sightsee much last time, so might as well. I should probably call Mom and let her know that we're alright, since y'know you kidnapped us out of nowhere."
"Whatever," Mewtwo huffed.
"Well, I'm out of here," the woman declared. "I should get back with the others. See you around?"
"I doubt it'll take long to run into each other again," Mewtwo said offhandedly.
"If you say so," the woman said, before turning around to leave, waving her goodbyes to the creature behind her. "See ya later, Mewtwo. Until next time!"
"Farewell...Leaf..." Mewtwo muttered back.
Always the talkative and irritating one, she was. Although perhaps her empathy, persistence and above all open-mindedness were what made him inherently trust her the most out of the four. She was always different from most humans; she tried to understand him. She tried to change for the better.
...Just like how she and her friends did, so long as humanity showed the willingness to change for the better, then he would offer his own help for the sake of the world. For the sake of the innocent lives of the earth; humans and Pokémon alike. So that no one would suffer like he did.
Now back to being alone, Mewtwo resumed his meditation. He was one step closer to unlocking the hidden potentials of those two forms. For now, he would try and get as far as he can here, before relocating to the land that originated the concept.
"Ngh..."
Nate moaned as he slowly and sleepily opened his eyes. He found himself in a hospital bed. Ah, he must have fell unconscious again. He glanced over to his side, where he found Yancy, sleeping in a chair next to his bed. So she had been watching him while he recovered. Nate could not help but crack a smile.
He also spotted his Pokémon asleep on the floor; Luca was sleeping next to Brav, who had roosted on the floor, Bo and Vire were sprawled on the floor snoring rather peacefully, if not loudly, and Deo and Zoro were curled up in their own corners of the room. Nate then glanced to the desk on the other side of his bed. His bag was hanging on the bedframe, and his jacket was on the chair. On the desk was his pokédex, the two strange stones that had given them the power needed to defeat Kyurem, and one pokéball, where the center button was glowing red. Nate picked up the pokéball and examined it. Since he currently had a full party, he could not open the pokéball. But he knew that inside the device was Kyurem, most likely resting inside the device.
Nate glanced back to Yancy. For once, she had her hat off. While it was not the first time he had 'seen' her without her hat, that time was when she was donning her idol alter ego, 'Nancy'. This would be the first time he saw her without her hat as Yancy, strangely enough. He could not help but admire how serene she looked dozing off while leaning against the wall next to her. She must have done her best fighting off the damn genesects that were pillaging Unova. He was glad that nothing bad happened to her, since he effectively sent her off to fight mechanical killing machines.
After staring at her for a few minutes, he gently poked at her cheek, noting how soft her skin felt, slowly waking her up from her nap.
"Huh..." Yancy mumbled, sleepily opening her eyes.
"Yo," Nate said.
Yancy stared drowsily at Nate, before realizing that he had woken up, and snapped out of her drowsy state.
"Nate!" Yancy exclaimed as she embraced the boy. "You're alright! I'm so glad!"
"Glad to see you in one piece too," Nate chuckled as he returned the embrace. "You must've done your best against the genesects."
"Not as much as you must've done," Yancy replied. "You saved the world!"
"Yeah...I guess I did..." Nate merely chuckled. While he knew damn well it was not by himself, he was the one who defeated Kyurem, so he supposed he'll take credit where it's due.
Hearing Yancy, the Pokémon all started to wake up, before noticing that their trainer had woken up from his slumber. The door opened, where the rest of the group flooded into the room to check up on the boy.
"Nate!" Rosa and Hugh cried out.
"Yo," Nate said. "I'm not dead yet."
"How're you feeling?" Hilda asked.
"Could've been worse, not gonna lie," Nate shrugged. Honestly aside from some stiffness, he felt much better than he thought he would.
"On behalf of everyone...Thank you," N said as he entered the room. "Without your help, who knows if we would even be here now..."
"...Thanks..." Nate mumbled.
"That's my little bro," Hilbert said jovially, rubbing Nate on the head.
"Don't push it," Nate growled, lifting Hilbert's hand off of his head. "Speaking of, where are we?"
"Opelucid," Yancy explained as Nate flicked Hilbert's hand away from him. "It was the closest city we could get to at the time."
Nate glanced up, before looking outside the window. To his surprise, the city was not a complete frozen wasteland anymore. While some of the ice was still present, a good majority of it had melted away.
"It would seem that with Kyurem's defeat, its ice had lost much of its power, thus melting away slowly but surely."
Nate looked back to the door and, to his shock, found Drayden at the door, along with Iris.
"Drayden!" Nate gasped. "You're awake!"
"Indeed," Drayden nodded. "I have gotten caught up to speed from Hugh and Iris. On behalf of the people of Opelucid City..."
"And everyone in Unova!" Iris added.
"We give our thanks to you all," Drayden said, bowing slightly to the group. "Your bravery was instrumental to our victory, and to our futures. I must also apologize on my own behalf; I made you all so worried…"
"It's no problem at all!" Hugh quickly insisted. "We're just glad that you're alright."
"Now, onto other matters," Hilbert said, glancing at the pokéball on Nate's desk. "...So you caught Kyurem."
All eyes were on Nate and the pokéball in alarm. Nate, for his part, did not show any signs of faltering under the gazes.
"And?" Nate muttered, staring straight at Hilbert.
"...While I have no qualms with that," Hilbert said. "Unfortunately, HQ is demanding a report of that whole shitstorm. They ordered me to detain Kyurem. When they found out that someone had caught him, they ordered me to detain the person who caught Kyurem, which means they ordered me to arrest you for suspicion of harboring a dangerous Pokémon."
"What?!" Rosa, Hugh and Yancy gasped.
"They became aware of what Kyurem almost did and how he was able to almost get away with it," Hilbert explained to Nate, ignoring the other three kids. "They don't care whether or not Nate helped in the end; the fact remained that he had a hand in Kyurem's plots. As far as they care, they don't want any loose screws lying around. Thus, they want me to bring you in to evaluate whether or not you would prove to be a threat or not; or whether or not they can trust you with Kyurem or not."
"So you would arrest your own little brother?" Hugh asked Hilbert accusingly.
"Believe me, I'd rather just let him go scot free," Hilbert said. "But the Interpol is rather antsy on making sure he's left in check."
"There's nothing we can do," Hilda shrugged. "Oh if only there was someone with enough authority in Unova to step in and overrule the Interpol's decision for us..."
The two Interpol agents glanced over to the one person with that kind of authority in the room; Unova's champion and highest authority of the land: Iris.
"I already reviewed the situation," Iris announced. "And while your efforts in stopping Kyurem were invaluable, you are still guilty of several accounts of larceny, possession of dangerous weapons, and attempted treason against the country with said dragon."
'Well she isn't wrong,' Nate thought to himself.
"I have made my decision," Iris announced. "Nate Warren. You will be assigned the task of rehabilitation."
"What?" Rosa asked.
"Explain," Nate said curtly.
"Currently, Team Plasma is in a state of disarray," Iris explained. "While they seem to have calmed down and show no signs of planning anything else, there is also no one to keep them in line. Who knows what they will try to do if left alone without anyone to keep them in check. As such, you are relegated to the task of rehabilitating the group of former terrorists, helping them reform to make sure they will no longer be a problem in the future."
"You're serious?" Nate asked.
"If the Interpol's main concern is to determine whether or not you are a threat to them or not with Kyurem in your possession," Iris continued. "Then I believe proving to them that they can trust you with Kyurem would be a good way to satisfy their concerns. And what better way is to do a service to society by reforming terrorists like Team Plasma? That should speak testaments to what kind of person you are, and be enough for the Interpol to not step in."
"Speaking of Team Plasma," Hugh said. "Where's Colress?"
"Over here," Colress called out from behind the door. "Honestly...do you expect me to try and squeeze into a room already packed?"
"So what's gonna happen to him?" Nate asked Iris.
"As I was former Team Plasma," Colress said as he made himself visible from the door. "I fall within the category of rehabilitation. In reality, I'm to assist Nate in the rehabilitation process."
"Knowing you, there should be no problem, and we can perfectly trust you here," Iris said, before narrowing her eyes at the boy. "But if you decide to turn against everyone, after everything you did, and try to do something like Ghetsis did...should this have all been one giant act to gain our trust, only to abuse it and go behind our backs, then you will be branded as a traitor against Unova, and will be brought down."
Rosa, Hugh and Yancy could not help but feel chills as Iris threatened Nate. The boy in question, for his part, merely stared back at the champion unfazed. While they have become acquainted with each other, she was right to consider that one possibility. Because the boy had one of the most dangerous Pokémon known to man, and was now given reign of an armed force, which could only spell disaster if he decided to abuse his position.
Only a complete fool would not consider the possibility of him abusing the trust and position he was given as a façade of a punishment. Even if they were friends, Iris was not foolish enough to completely trust him with something as important as keeping a known terrorist force in check; when he himself was on the brink of causing the very thing they did.
...But then again, Iris was still a fool regardless, at least to Nate.
"You really think I'm gonna try to destroy the country after almost dying to save it?" Nate scoffed. "If I wanted Unova burning, then I would've just let Kyurem do as he pleased."
Nate had risked everything to stop Kyurem from destroying Unova. It would be utter nonsense to turn around and try to burn the land down himself. Not to mention that, even with Team Plasma, he stood no chance against the entirety of Unova and what it had to offer.
"Just wanted to make sure," Iris said, her expression softening. "Sorry about that."
"Well, you're smart for considering the possibility, I suppose," Nate shrugged, before turning to Hilbert. "Is that good enough for you?"
"Well, if the champion is willing to deal with you, then that should be enough for the higher-ups to not blow a gasket," Hilbert said.
So he saved the country, only to be given an unofficial punishment for his past crimes. Nate supposed, that letting Iris give him an unofficial sentence to what amounted to community service was a much more ideal outcome than letting a far more untrustworthy and unpredictable Interpol decide his fate.
...Yancy's words back at Route 10 resurfaced in his mind. What happened in the past will always remain. But, like how he preached to Kyurem; that should not be the only important thing. People can change. And what better way to prove that than to help Team Plasma change their ways and find solace in society, like how he did? If he can change, and if Kyurem can change, then surely they can change as well, especially with the toxic influences of Ghetsis removed. Team Plasma could be changed to be a group that truly valued the harmony of Pokémon and humanity; such a harmony that Nate had thought impossible, and help spread that harmony to the rest of the world. So long as Nate never gave up, eventually he would reach that kind of society.
"Well then that's settled," Nate said, before glancing to Rosa, Hugh and Yancy. "So? What do you all plan to do now?"
"Huh?"
The three in question glanced back to Nate confusedly. The boy merely rolled his eyes before continuing. "Team Plasma's more or less defunct now. Ghetsis' dead. Kyurem's dealt with. Really, I don't have a reason to keep going along with you guys on the journey."
"Wait...b-but what about the Pokémon League?" Rosa asked, her composure faltering. "The three of us have all the badges! We can go enter Victory Road!"
"I never once said I was interested in the league," Nate remarked. "I only got the badges because I had to help you and Hugh with the Challenge Mode battles. I got my eight badges out of association."
Rosa and Hugh recoiled a bit at Nate's blunt answer, but he had a point. Nate had never actually claimed to be interested in participating or challenging in the Unova League. His main motive for participating in the gym battles was to simply become stronger, and because he had been grouped with Rosa and Hugh within the minds of the League; as the three young trainers who are going around requesting Challenge Mode gym battles. Now that they earned all eight gym badges, Nate no longer had a reason to stick with them, if he was not interested in challenging the Elite Four and the Champion.
But they did not want to hear it. Because by accepting it, that meant that their time together was coming to an end. After everything they went through, Rosa and Hugh did not want to part ways with Nate; someone they owed their very beings to for everything he ended up teaching them in terms of knowledge and lessons; both in battling and in human nature.
Yancy stared at Nate for a while, before letting out a sigh. "...I actually have something to do. So, I'll be leaving soon."
"Yancy?" Rosa asked the pinkette. Yancy too?
"And here I thought you'd be the one who'd be most against me leaving," Nate smirked.
"It's something I have to do, now that everything's over," Yancy replied, before smiling back. "But it's okay! Because I know we'll see each other again."
Rosa and Hugh stared at the pinkette as she went on. "This isn't necessarily goodbye. We've been through too much to just simply call it quits and never see each other again. I know we'll see each other again. We just have to believe that."
Nate merely smiled, nodding in approval. That was the girl he fell in love with.
Eventually, it was Hugh who responded first. "I'm...I'm gonna head back to Aspertia."
"Hugh?" Rosa asked her childhood friend. He took out a pokéball from his pocket. It was glowing red like Kyurem's pokéball, indicating that he could not open it for having a full roster. Inside it was a liepard; the purrloin that was stolen from his sister years ago.
"I finally got Val's Purrloin back," Hugh said. "Well...now Liepard, I suppose. This was the original reason why I started my journey anyways. With Plasma gone, it's time I returned her to her rightful trainer. And afterwards...well, the old Team Plasma should still be around. I owe them an apology."
"Hey, look who grew up from his pissy phase," Nate snickered.
"You're one to talk," Hugh shot back amusedly.
Now all that was left was Rosa. Hugh and even Yancy managed to get over it. So shouldn't she be able to do so...?
"My journey ends here. But that doesn't mean your journey has to," Nate said to Rosa. "I dunno what I'm gonna do afterwards, but you still have something to do, don't you?"
"And then we will travel Unova, become stronger, gather the best team, and then I, Rosa Echoes, shall become the next champion!"
Rosa recalled that one declaration she made way back half a year ago, when she was almost done with the school. Back then, it did sound like a rather bold claim for someone who had not proven themselves at the time. Looking back at it, Rosa could not help but feel embarrassed at her past self's haughty attitude. She really was conceited back then, huh. Compared to six months ago, she could claim that she was much humbler now, because she could never see herself make such a bold claim with just an eevee.
But looking back, that claim, while bold, was genuine. Her dream of becoming the champion after being inspired by Hilbert was her one, genuine goal. The journey she took, which had its ups and downs, had given her a reality check and knocked her down several pegs.
But now? After everything she went through, she felt that at the very least, she should not give up. She has all eight badges; the goal was right in front of her. All she had to do now was believe in herself and make a reach for it. This was confidence not born from an ignorant arrogance but from the lessons she had been taught in the past six months that matured her and rebuilt her resolve.
"...Yeah, you're right," Rosa nodded. "I still have one last thing to do. I've gotten this far. Even if it was thanks to you and Hugh and many others and not by myself, I can't back down now.
"I will become the next champion. Count on it."
The way she had said it was brimming with confidence; a far cry from how she initially declared her intentions at the beginning of her journey. Hugh and Nate merely smiled at her declaration, proud of how far their friend had come.
"That's sounds great!" Iris, the current champion, exclaimed. "I'll be waiting for your challenge, Rosa! But don't think I'll go easy on you; I'm gonna go all out!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Rosa nodded back coolly.
"If you lose after hyping yourself up like that, just know you'll look super lame," Nate sniggered.
"Quiet you!"
The room was filled with laughter; a jovial, peaceful laughter among friends. Nate noted the joyful mirth that flooded the room. It felt like music to his ears. Nate smiled, feeling himself at peace for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.
This was what Nate had protected; and he could not be any happier about it.
It took a few days, but Nate eventually recovered from his wounds, and was released from the hospital. While he had expected them to part ways so that everyone could do what they planned to do, apparently everyone else had one more thing planned for him. While Iris and Drayden, unfortunately, had to go back to resume their responsibilities, N decided to leave, but not before giving Nate a cryptic message about the castle, and Colress decided to head back to Team Plasma to relocate them, the usual group of three, Rosa, Hugh and Yancy, along with Hilbert and Hilda remained.
Upon questioning why they decided to wait for Nate to recover, when they could have gone off to do whatever it was they wanted to do, Hilbert was the one to reveal everyone's intentions:
"We're heading to Nuvema."
The ride back to Hilbert's hometown was a quiet one. Memories of the old town flooded Nate's mind; none of them being particularly fond memories. As they passed Route 1, the memories of Nate 'reuniting' with Hilbert as a child resurfaced. While Nate knew to no longer blame Hilbert for what had happened, the damage was done. It could never be reverted. However, Nate knew better. At the very least, he could work to try and patch up whatever was left between him and his brother.
Quickly enough, everyone reached Nuvema Town, a rather small, rural town when compared to literally every other settlement. Everyone landed in front of one, particular house; the Warren's residence.
"We're here," Hilbert announced as he got off Latios and recalled him.
Everyone got off their own flying Pokémon and recalled them, as they approached the house.
"Wow...so this is your house, Mister Hilbert," Rosa said.
"It's nothing special, really," Hilbert shrugged, before glancing to Nate. "C'mon."
Nate was uncharacteristically nervous, which was something everyone else found surprising and amusing.
"We're right here, Nate," Yancy assured him, squeezing his hand.
"R-Right..." Nate mumbled as he shakily stepped forward to the door.
"Nothing bad will happen," Hilda assured Nate. "She'll recognize you. I promise."
Nate merely narrowed his eyes at Hilda, as if a part of him did not believe her, before glancing at the door. Despite having faced countless obstacles that would strike fear into a normal person, he found himself frozen in front of it out of fear and anticipation of who was behind the door. A certain someone he had not seen in over a decade now.
Hilbert rummaged through his pockets to retrieve his pair of house keys and went to unlock the door. Once he unlocked the door, he grabbed Nate's hand and gently brought it to the handle. Nate glowered at his older brother, but the reassuring smile on Hilbert's face oddly put Nate at some ease. Muttering something under his breath, Nate slowly turned the handle and opened the door. He was greeted to a wide, fairly plain-looking living room, with a space leading to what he presumed to be the kitchen, and a glass door to the back that led to the backyard. A staircase was to his left, which led to the upstairs. There was a woman with long brown hair tied into a wavy ponytail sitting in one of the chairs at the table placed in the middle of the room, watching the television. She was turned behind the door, so she did not see who came in, although she was well aware that she had visitors.
"Oh, welcome home you two," she said. "You're home rather early. There was quite the ruckus a few days back too with these weird purple machines. I'm sure you two were fine though. So did you two find the friend you were looking for? Wasn't his name N or something...?"
The woman turned around to greet her son and foster daughter, only for her eyes to widen upon seeing Nate. The boy in questioned squirmed slightly, before slowly stepping forward.
"H–Hey..." Nate said nervously as he took off his visor. "I–It's been a while..."
The woman slowly got out of her chair. Nate did not know how to take that as a response, so he kept going. "It was what...ten years or something...? I–Sorry I never came here, I guess...D–Do you remember me, Mo–?"
Nate was cut off as the woman suddenly ran up into him with a tight embrace. Startled, Nate froze up, dropping his visor and letting it hit the ground. Nate glanced to the woman, noticing that her eyes were already filled with tears.
"How could I ever forget you..." the woman said in a shaky voice. "Nate..."
Nate's eyes widened as his name uttered by the woman registered in his ears. In that instance, whatever that had been keeping Nate's emotions in check broke, allowing the boy to return the embrace as tears of joy poured out of his own eyes.
"...Mom..." Nate mumbled.
He had always pictured how this reunion would turn out. At times, it would be full of joy, just like now. At other times, it would turn out something akin to when Nate reunited with Hilbert for the first time. Right now, Nate was glad it was not the latter. As he embraced his mother tighter, he could not help but wonder how his life would have turned out had he decided to seek her out sooner and not avoid the family out of self-imposed spite. Would he have been saved from the hell that he had endured? Perhaps, but then again, had he decided to do so, his life would have been drastically different; perhaps he would have never met Yancy, Rosa and Hugh, or any of his party members for that matter.
But none of that mattered right now. What mattered was that he got over his own hatred, and all his fears were lifted upon seeing that his mother did in fact remember her baby boy after so long.
The Warren Family, after ten years, were reunited.
Two weeks later
Hugh watched as his little sister offered Liepard a cookie. The leopard merely glowered at the little girl, but Val kept a gentle smile on her face as she patiently offered Liepard the cookie. The dark-type eventually relented and accepted the cookie from the girl begrudgingly, nibbling on the piece of food.
Parting ways with Nate and the others, Hugh and Rosa returned to Aspertia City after the Kyurem incident. They were relieved to see that the city had weathered the storm that was the army of genesects, thanks to the efforts of the faculty of the school, including Cheren, and a mysterious trainer who had shown up out of nowhere to help Cheren. The trainer had left without a trace when the genesects stopped moving, without Cheren being able to inquire her name. It turns out the cities all across Unova fought off the Genesect armies to the best of their abilities until Colress was able to stop them. The two were overjoyed to see that their fellow classmates were alright, as well as their families, whom they have not seen in over six months.
While after a day to rest up, Rosa immediately headed out to the Pokémon League, Hugh stayed behind. Like Nate, the Pokémon League was never a top priority for him; finding Val's purrloin and defeating Team Plasma had always been his objective. He had stuck by them to make himself stronger, which then led to being able to help the two of them when they need it. And with having retrieved Val's purrloin, now a rather cold-hearted liepard, and Team Plasma meeting its end, Hugh too had no reason to keep going forward; his own motives having been achieved.
Hugh had returned home to rest and relax for a while, all the while helping his little sister bond with her estranged 'starter' Pokémon. When Liepard had first been reunited with Val, she did not recognize the girl. It had been five years since she was ever under Val's ownership; having spent those five years under the cruelty of the Shadow Triad. So of course, Liepard only viewed Val as an enemy; almost having attacked the girl had it not been for Hugh's intervention.
Still, with the purrloin, now liepard, that was a memento of her late grandfather back to her, Val dedicated her all to bonding with the liepard once more. While the first few days was merely Liepard growling at Val, discouraging her from getting close, Val did not give up, and did many things to try and get Liepard to open up, such as playing games and feeding her food. And while Liepard was quickly annoyed by her, to Hugh's surprise, it proved to be more effective than he had initially anticipated, with the leopard quickly growing less hostile towards Val, if not still irritated by the girl's antics.
It still could not be called a bond between trainer and Pokémon, but Liepard showed signs of lightening up around Val. Perhaps the liepard begrudgingly began to accept the idea of a life outside of Team Plasma. Perhaps deep down, she remembers Val from five years ago, and is slowly opening up and slowly restoring the bond they had back then. Whatever it may be, Hugh was just glad to see Val with her Pokémon once more.
The same could not be said with the rest of the family, however, as Liepard was still openly hostile towards the others, having tried to attack Hugh and their parents on several occasions. The only reason Liepard stopped attacking Hugh was because he had more than enough frightening answers to pummel Liepard to a pulp, such as Flygon or Tornadus, or especially Heracross. It was Val's rather adamant insistence on keeping Liepard that stopped them from throwing the cat out of the house. As such, Liepard was relegated to Val's room, where she would only have to deal with the small girl.
"Still can't believe you managed to get Liepard to open up this quickly," Hugh commented.
"I really don't think it's that much," Val replied as she stroked her hand across Liepard's fur. "But it's something."
Liepard merely mumbled something under her breath as she allowed Val to stroke her fur without retaliation.
"At this rate, I'm sure you two will be best buds in no time," Hugh said with a smile.
"I-I dunno about that," Val mumbled embarrassedly, while Liepard merely glared at Hugh annoyedly.
"Trust me, you'll get there soon," Hugh assured his little sister.
Her big brother's reassuring words managed to build some confidence in the normally meek girl. Liepard stared at Val from the side, before resting her head.
"Hugh! You have a visitor!" their mother called from downstairs.
"A visitor?" Hugh asked as he got up. "Wonder who that could be?"
The boy excused himself from Val's room to head downstairs to greet this sudden visitor. Once he arrived at the living room, he spotted his mother at the door, with the visitor. To his surprise, the person was none other than Benga.
"Yo!" Benga exclaimed.
"What the–Benga?" Hugh said. "What're you doing here? Also how did you even find me?"
"Gramps told me you lived here in Aspertia!" Benga replied.
"Gramps?" Hugh asked.
"Yeah! Gramps Alder!" Benga said.
"Alder's your grandfather?!" Hugh gasped, staring at the boy in shock, until he stared at Benga's crazy orange hair. "In hindsight, I should've seen that one coming."
"Cuz we're both strong! Right?" Benga asked.
"Yeah sure, that's totally the reason why," Hugh nodded. "Anyways, what're you even doing here?"
"Because I did it! I DID IT!" Benga exclaimed giddily.
"Did what?"
"I made it to the deepest part of the Treehollow!"
"You what?!"
Hugh stared dumbly at Benga in shock at the news. He made it to the deepest part of that merciless labyrinth!? Granted, if anyone could do it, then it certainly was Benga, Hugh supposed. Considering how powerful half of his team was, with no one stopping him, Benga would have eventually reached the bottom relatively unopposed. Actually, speaking of the Treehollow...
"Benga, was the Treehollow alright last week?" Hugh asked. "The genesects went everywhere and caused quite the mess..."
"Y'mean those weird purple things?" Benga asked. "Yeah they attacked the Treehollow! That was messed up! So my Pokémon and I fought them off! Along with the other trainers and Boss Trainers too!"
Well, at least Hugh knew that the Treehollow was safe, all things considered. Hugh should have known that place of all places would have a strong defense.
"Yeah that surprised me," Benga said. "But regardless! We reached the deepest part of the Treehollow! So Hugh! You do the same too!"
"Reach the deepest part?" Hugh asked.
"Yeah!" Benga nodded. "And let's meet there to fulfill our promise! To see who's truly stronger!"
Hugh raised a brow. The White Treehollow. It was in fact a challenging maze that tested everything Hugh knew about being a trainer, while testing the limits of his team. The last time he went there, he made it to Area 5 alongside Iris, before being defeated there; by Benga, funnily enough, and to a tie, no less. Now he had to go further beyond his last record and reach the deepest part by himself this time. While the task was daunting beyond all belief, it was a welcoming challenge. If he could reach the deepest part, then he would truly leave his mark as one of the strongest of the Treehollow, and no doubt become stronger than his wildest imaginations. And he did have a score to settle with Benga anyways...
However, if he went off now, then that would mean leaving Val by herself with Liepard. While Hugh had faith in his little sister's ability to pacify the former Team Plasma Pokémon, he could not help but still worry for her. What if Liepard decided to turn against Val and attack her? He would not be here to protect her from–.
"It's alright, Big Brother."
Hugh found himself startled as he whipped around to see Val behind him, accompanied by Liepard, who was glaring at Benga.
"Val?" Hugh blurted.
"I overheard everything. You're worried about leaving me alone, right?" Val asked, accurately guessing Hugh's worries. "It's alright. We'll be fine. You go to this Treehollow place and enjoy yourself."
"Val..." Hugh said, which Val returned with a small smile. Deciding to put faith in his sister, he turned back to Benga. "Alright, you're on."
"Alright!" Benga cheered. "I'll be waiting down there! Let's try hard to be the best! Later, Hugh!"
Without so much as missing a beat, Benga sent out his volcarona, before hopping onto the Atlas moth's back and flying away, most likely headed for the White Treehollow.
"You have quite the energetic friend," Hugh's mother giggled.
"Tell me about it," Hugh sighed. "Well, I better get ready. I'm probably gonna leave tomorrow."
"Alright, but first wash up you two," Hugh's mother said. "Dinner is almost ready, and your father should be coming back from work soon."
"Okay!" Hugh and Val replied.
Hugh and Val rushed upstairs to prepare themselves for dinner, with Liepard lazily following after them. While his odyssey of getting revenge against Team Plasma might have ended, he still had other goals to meet. With a renowned excitement, Hugh mentally prepared for tomorrow's trip to the Treehollow, and the trek down its merciless depths to fight Benga.
And Hugh could not help but look forward to the next time he, Rosa and Nate would meet again, wishing to test himself against them after going through the Treehollow.
Rosa let out a tired sigh as she let the statue platform bring her down to the courtyard of the Pokémon League. After two weeks, which included preparation for the challenge that lied at the end, Rosa had conquered the ruthlessly vicious Victory Road, and made it to the Pokémon League. Once there, she fought against the Elite Four; the Ghost-type expert and author Shauntal, the Dark-type expert and gambler Grimsley, the Psychic-type expert and heiress Caitlin, and finally, the Fighting-type expert and former champion Alder's right-hand man, Marshal.
All four fights were among the hardest battles Rosa had ever had to experience. Despite having suitable answers for each of their main types, that was not enough to reign victorious over the Elite Four. They all had powerful Pokémon at their disposal that turned her idea of 'power-creeping' on its head. It also did not help that they were informed of Rosa's reputation for 'Challenge Mode' and decided to meet that standard. So when she entered the challenge, she was greeted to the Elite Four having full parties of six, all armed with items that further boosted their prowess and even possessing Pokémon that was foreign to Unova; something that was unheard of to Rosa before now.
But Rosa managed to overcome them all, and conquer the gauntlet of Unova's strongest trainers. However, there was one more challenge to face. Rosa looked up to the giant staircase that led to a temple that sat on top of the summit, before proceeding to walk upwards onto the stairs. As she made her trek, she checked her team. Everyone was healed up from the last fight, all their moves were restored as to avoid another Struggle fiasco like with Caitlin, and everyone had an item that best suited them or would help with a plan Rosa had in mind. Ottavia, Nina, Mandi, Gustav and Geno. All of them she had encountered at the start of her journey, all the way back at the start of Aspertia. And last, but certainly not least, was Eve; her true 'starter' Pokémon. Once a tiny eevee, she overcame many obstacles with Rosa, before evolving into this unknown species that had the edge over Dragons.
Rosa could not have asked for a better team to fight alongside against the final obstacle to her dream of becoming the champion. They have been through so much together. And now, it was time to show everyone just what they were really made of. Rosa reached the top of the stairs and headed into the temple without missing a beat. The temple itself was dimly lit, as the ceiling resembled a starry night sky, giving off a rather ambient planetarium kind of feel. In front of Rosa was a large, stepped pyramid surrounded by pillars. Rosa climbed up the pyramid to reach the top; a wide-open stone battlefield. On the opposite side, Rosa could spot someone waiting for her on a throne.
"Welcome, challenger!"
A familiar voice boomed across the field. The lights suddenly flickered on, revealing the person on the other side; the Unova Champion, Iris, donned in her champion attire.
"I've been waiting for this!" Iris called out with an eager smile.
With the lights now on, Rosa could now view the features of the room that were hidden within the darkness. A statue that vaguely resembled a dragon stood behind the throne. Behind that was a gargantuan and elaborate crest against the backdrop of the starry sky; four crests, each representing the type of the Elite Four, presumably, circled around a larger, fifth crest, akin to a solar system. The two girls walked forward, before reaching their respective sides of the arena.
"I can't thank you and everyone else enough for your efforts in stopping Team Plasma," Iris said to Rosa. "If it weren't for you guys, then Unova would've been toast!"
"It's no problem," Rosa replied coolly. While she certainly did her part and would bask in the praise, most of the credit would have to go to Nate, who fought off the major antagonizing forces of the whole debacle.
Iris then looked to Rosa's sides, as if she was expecting someone to be with her. "You're here by yourself?"
"Yeah, Nate, Hugh and I went our separate ways, what with Nate having to go through his "probation" and Hugh going back to give his sister her Pokémon back," Rosa explained, before noticing Iris slightly downcast reaction to Hugh not being here, and forming a rather teasing smirk. "Oh? So, you wanted to see Hugh here, eh?"
"Wha–No, of course not!" Iris blurted, her blushing expression betraying her denial.
"Uh huh," Rosa offered, not convinced at all and knowing better. "Come to think about it, you two were rather closer without anyone noticing. It's almost as if–."
"ANYWAYS!" Iris yelled, cutting off Rosa's teasing before they could form, and moving back on track. Iris cleared her throat, before continuing "Know what? I really look forward to having serious battles with strong trainers like you! Those who make it here are trainers who desire victory with every fiber of their being! And they're battling alongside Pokémon that have been through countless difficult battles!"
"You can say that again," Rosa agreed. The hardships she and her Pokémon had to overcome the past six months, along with all the good and bad memories, were experiences she would not trade for anything.
"If I battle with people like that, not only will I get stronger, my Pokémon will too!" Iris said as she presented a pokéball. "And we'll get to know each other!"
Iris tossed it up into the air, sending out her mighty hydreigon, who let out a powerful roar, before floating back down hovering above the field and eyeing her opponent with a steely gaze. Rosa was familiar with this particular hydreigon; it was the hydreigon that Iris had always used throughout the various times she would pop up, including what she used to fight Schwartzer back at Driftveil. What was once a powerful ally; was now facing her down as her first opponent against the champion.
Rosa grinned, sending out Ottavia in response, who glared back at Hydreigon. This was it. This was her moment of truth. Everything that she went through was for this very moment.
"OK! Brace yourself!" Iris declared. "I'm Iris, the Unova Pokémon League Champion! And I'm going to defeat you!"
"Bring it!" Rosa declared back, as the battle Rosa had been waiting for was about to commence.
She would give it her all. All of her struggles had been for this very moment. And while becoming the champion was her primary objective, above all, she wanted to leave a battle that she would not regret. A battle that truly showed what she was capable of, as a trainer who went through the struggles she did and matured and grew stronger out of it as a result.
But then again, she still wanted to win. So the best way to leave a battle that she would not regret is to leave a battle that she wanted to win; a battle that she gave her all into. Because battling to win makes someone try harder than to battle to not lose. And by Arceus she would win. She would make damn sure to win this, no matter what awaited her within Champion Iris' team of elites.
For she was Rosa Echoes; and she shall become the next champion.
Nate took a bite out of the beef sandwich his mother had prepared for him in the middle of the open grass fields of Route 17; the very edge of Southeast Unova. His eyes were on the screen of his Xtransceiver, scrolling through a recent news article that has the entire region talking.
"After three months of disappearing, multi-hit fifteen-year-old pop idol Nancy suddenly announces retirement from the scene..." Nate mumbled as he skimmed through the article. "Huh, so that's what she's been up to."
Nate supposed it came full circle that she would cut off all ties from her past; retiring Nancy would be the final nail on the metaphorical coffin. Now she was no longer tied to the past as an idol whose only purpose was to farm profit for her greed-fueled father. But that was not important at this very moment.
In front of him stood countless members of Team Plasma, both old and new, wearing either their old white uniforms or newer black uniforms. Glancing a lazy gaze at them all, Nate placed his sandwich into the lunchbox that had been prepared for him courtesy of his mother, before setting said lunchbox down onto the ground. Off to the side, he could see a quaint looking laboratory, with the Plasma Frigate towering over it, docked to the side.
"Alright then," Nate said, addressing the members of Team Plasma. "Thank you all for showing up here today. And thank you to all the members of the old Team Plasma who volunteered to join the new regime. Not gonna lie, I honestly thought none of you were gonna show up. Well at least the new Team Plasma; I would've thought y'all were still salty for me ruining your plans."
"I mean it's not like we have anywhere else to go," one of the new Team Plasma members shrugged, where many other of his brethren voiced their agreements.
"Fair enough," Nate nodded. "Now then, I'm gonna cut to the chase. The league isn't gonna arrest you guys or me on one condition; that I prove to them that we're all good humanitarians and go through rehab. Or more like y'all go through rehab and I'm supposed to make sure you don't go pillaging or something."
"What happens if we do?" another Team Plasma member, this time from the old Team Plasma, asked curiously.
"Oh that's easy," Nate replied. "We're all fucked by the League. And then by the Interpol."
The way he put it so bluntly made them all groan. No matter what, they did not want to deal with the Interpol. They heard the stories of how the police force would ruthlessly punish those who committed crimes; whether they were rumors or not, no one wanted to find out.
"Hey it beats getting thrown into jail turn one," Nate shrugged. "...I'm not gonna lie, this isn't gonna be easy. No matter what, what you all did; whether it was from two years ago to this year, is still fresh in the memories of Unova. You can ask some random guy about Team Plasma, and nine out of ten they will probably not like you. That's understandable; Team Plasma did try to take over Unova. Twice, in fact. Hell the second time we all almost died because of it–You're welcome for saving your collective asses, by the way.
"Whether your feelings of wanting to be redeemed is genuine or not; whether you just now started to try and atone or have been atoning for the last two years; none of that will matter to the people of Unova. They'll just look at you with disgust and disdain for wearing the banner of Team Plasma. For now, at least.
"Now I know what you're all thinking. 'It isn't our fault! We were all deceived by Ghetsis!' And you're absolutely right. Ghetsis played everyone for a fiddle. And now he's dead–You're welcome for that, by the way, even though I didn't actually kill him directly, but we take those–ANYWAYS. But that will never change the fact that you all did his dirty work for him. Placing the blame of that shitty priest won't change the fact that you all did some shitty things at one point. I'm pretty sure some of you enjoyed doing those shitty things, so don't go acting all holier than thou on me.
"Now, I'm not saying I'm a saint either; I've done some terrible things too. Things that, now looking back, I'm not too proud of. But here I am, accepting a task of overseeing probation of a group of former terrorists as my own punishment, when I could've easily fled the country and they couldn't do a damn thing about it. You know why? Because fuck, I wanna try and become a better person. Someone believed that I can, and I wanna make sure they didn't waste their hopes on a lost cause. Hell, I don't wanna live my life thinking that I can't do shit to make myself a better person. Do you know how much that would suck?
"Anyways, I was this close into unleashing Armageddon onto Unova, and then I go turn around and stop it when someone else unleashes it instead. I've seen some shitty things in my life; and I held a grudge against everyone; all of you included; because of how shitty my life was. But now? I dropped all those grudges; except for maybe one; and I'm trying to turn that around. And if some fifteen-year-old rat who lived off the streets or in a cave can do that, then surely all you grown ass adults can do it too.
"It's not gonna be easy. Of course not. But we can make everyone see that Team Plasma isn't a name that should be feared and scorned. You all can redeem yourselves in the eyes of the people. And at the end? Well, Team Plasma tried to liberate Pokémon from people. How about we do the opposite? Let's show them that there is a world where Pokémon and people can live in equal harmony. That certainly sounds better than a dictatorship ruled by some deranged tyrant.
"Now, you all have no real obligation to follow me. You can all just up and leave right now if you want. But just know. First, whatever happens to you is not my problem. Second, you're gonna have to go into hiding for the rest of your life. And third, you'll just miss a golden opportunity to redeem yourself after this whole shitstorm with Plasma. You're just running away from it all."
Nate extended a hand towards the group of tens upon hundreds of Team Plasma members, whom were all mesmerized by the boy's surprisingly infectious charisma. It reminded them of Ghetsis, ironically enough, but they could all tell there was absolutely no venom or ultimatums hidden behind Nate's words. He genuinely meant every word he said.
"What's in the past is the past; that will never change," Nate said. "But the future's not written. It's just waiting for us to give it something to write down. Then let's give it a grand old tale; of how a group of criminals deceived by a demon banded together to redeem themselves by helping the world become a better place. Let's show the people, the league, the Interpol, and that shitty priest that we aren't just a pack of lowlifes; that we can change for the better. One hell of a redemption arc, eh? What do y'all say?"
No one said anything at first, still stuck in their fascination at the boy. Then, eventually, one of them began to slowly clap. This led to another one clapping, then another, and then another, until quickly enough, everyone was applauding at Nate, finding themselves moved by Nate's charismatic speech of motivation.
Nate merely let out a smirk, glad to see that everyone was on board. Frankly if they all had left, then Nate would have no one to go through rehabilitation, and then that probably meant he would be thrown into jail. Again.
"Alright then, let's all head back into the ship," Nate announced. "Pretty sure we'll need to make some new arrangements to accommodate for the new recruits."
"Aye!" they all saluted, before marching back to the Frigate.
As Nate saw them all head back onto the ship, he glanced over to the side. Colress had been by his side without him noticing.
"Well color me impressed," Colress said. "You're surprisingly good at public speeches. Honestly I saw a bit of Roy in you back there."
"Eh, I just said what was on my mind," Nate shrugged. "Honestly I'm glad they all decided to stick and not just bail."
"They were all planning on staying regardless," Colress admitted. "But your words managed to motivate them further. You gave them inspiration and something to look forward to."
"Is that right," Nate said, amused. "Well that's good. This would've been way more annoying if everyone was a lazy ass."
"Very well," Colress conceded. "I'll be heading back then. Someone has to perform maintenance on the ship. Thankfully the P2 Laboratory should still have plenty of resources for me to use."
"'Kay," Nate acknowledged as Colress headed back to the ship.
As Nate saw the Frigate become livelier with each Team Plasma member on board, he heard something; like a flying Pokémon roosting onto the ground. He glanced behind him, where an amused smirk plastered itself on his face.
"Oh?" Nate said. "This is quite the surprising visitor."
Nate turned around to greet his new visitor. Yancy smiled back, accompanied by Toge and Audi, the first Pokémon they caught together.
"So you quit your job?" Nate asked.
"Yeah," Yancy confirmed. "Now I'm a free girl; free to do whatever I want."
"And your dad's okay with this?" Nate arched a brow as he asked his question.
"He gave me permission," Yancy replied. "He also left you a message: 'please don't get her killed'."
"Damn, I only spoke to him once and already he doesn't trust me to keep you alive," Nate cackled.
"But I'm sure there'll be nothing to worry about," Yancy giggled as she walked over to Nate, grabbing his hand with hers and letting their fingers intertwine. "We'll protect each other. We'll always be by each other's side."
"Yeah..." Nate mumbled. "I can at least do that, right?"
Staring into each other's eyes, Yancy leaned forward and let her lips meet Nate's lips. The kiss was nothing deep, but soft and gentle. Audi and Toge squealed as they covered their eyes, while leaving just a bit of room to peak anyways. After a good ten seconds or so, the two broke off each other.
"You better not regret following me down here," Nate said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Yancy replied back with a smirk that rivaled Nate's own smirk.
"-Oh my god, Boss did the thing!-"
"-He's grown up, so much...! Oh this old coot is so proud!-"
"-Hey move over, I can't see!-"
"-Ah–Miss Luca y-your chest spike is stabbing at my head!-"
"-Damn it, move your horn you damn unicorn!-"
"-How about I slice your balls off instead, you damn gorilla!?-"
Nate and Yancy looked around confused, hearing the commotion, before spotting a suspiciously rustling bush. Within seconds Nate's party fell out of the bush, crashing down onto the ground rather pathetically.
"What the...?" Yancy blurted.
"-Uuuuuuuh we can explain,-" Luca said dumbly.
"-We weren't spying on you two or anything!-" Bo said loudly, causing Luca to smack her face with her paw.
"-Oh you idiot...-" Vire grumbled.
"You were spying on us!?" Nate snarled, his face flushing in embarrassment.
"-Oh you grow up so fast, my boy!-" Brav squawked, a tear forming from the old bird's eye. "-It only seemed like yesterday when you were such a small, adorable child!-"
"Shut it, old man!" Nate growled.
"-But well then,-" Deo muttered, glancing to the Frigate. "-We're now stuck reforming Team Plasma, huh.-"
"You wanna call quits?" Nate asked Deo. "Now that your masters are back, you don't have to stick with us anymore."
That was true. After Kyurem had been defeated, the Three Swords of Justice had parted ways with them once they had been fully healed, leaving Deo to make his own decisions; whether they be to go after them or to stay with Nate. He knew where to find them anyways.
"-Hmph, while tempting as it is,-" Deo admitted with a huff. "-I already swore my blade to you. Thus, I will serve you till the end.-"
"Well that's reassuring," Nate said. Truth be told, he had no idea what to expect Deo to do, now that his own objective had been fulfilled.
"-I don't think you need to ask the rest of us,-" Zoro said.
"Yeah, yeah," Nate chuckled. "Well then, I'll be in your care. For better or for worse."
Nate glanced over to the ship, noticing Colress waving at him, most likely requesting his presence for something. Sighing, he knelt down to collect his things, placing them in his bag, before glancing over to the others. Still clutching his hand, Yancy moved over to Nate's side, offering him the same gentle smile that Nate was so used to seeing on her face.
"Well, let's go see what awaits us then, eh?" Nate asked. With a unanimous agreement, everyone headed for the Frigate, to start the first step in their new lives.
It doesn't necessarily have to be filled with good memories or bad memories, but the past will always be forever a part of you. That doesn't mean that it should dictate what you do with yourself. How the past should affect you; whether it motivates you to move forward, or it keeps you dragged down to the ground; is entirely up to you. You can decide how you want the past to affect you. But don't let the past drag you down, because it will always keep you down if you do. That was the lesson I learned. That was what we all learned.
The future...well, no one truly knows what the future has in store for them. Even if you could predict it; the future is never set in stone. Until it happens and become a part of the past, it's a blank slate that's just waiting to be filled with something. But then again, that's probably why it's full of hope. Because it's a blank slate, it gives you so much opportunity. If something is coming up that you're looking forward to, then you have this excitement and anticipation for the future. If you failed at something you wanted to accomplish, you can always prepare and try again (just don't try to destroy the world or anything like that). And if you made some...stupid mistakes in the past, then you can use the future to rectify them, however you see fit, whether it means going back to fix those mistakes, or atoning for yourself somehow.
Even still, life isn't permanent. We're only given a finite amount of time to live, and it isn't really much in the grand scheme of things. So whatever you do with the future, at the very least, make sure you'll know you'll be proud of it. Since the future will eventually become part of the past, make sure you use it to the fullest, and be able to look back and be proud of what you did; of who you defined yourself as. You are your only self, after all. So make sure you can be proud of who you are; have pride for your very being.
Live up to it. The pride of your soul.
FIN
AN: And that's that. That is the end of Pride of Your Soul. Four years working on this; and six years total working on the Unova saga comes to an end.
Is it really the end though? Well, if you are aware with what I did with Color of Your Soul, then you are aware of the two extra chapters I did. I do plan on releasing some similar extra chapters for PoYS sporadically (or whenever I feel like it), for like the epilogue, the Champions Tournament, Rosa vs Iris and Hugh vs Benga rematch if you all are interested in that. I don't know how many I'll do just yet, but there are plans for that. But as far as the main story is concerned, this is the end.
And to tally it up, their finishing rosters:
Nate: Luca (Lucario*) / Bo (Emboar) / Vire (Electivire) / Brav (Braviary) / Deo (Keldeo) / Zoro (Zoroark) / Kyurem
Rosa: Eve (?) / Ottavia (Samurott) / Nina (Arcanine) / Mandi (Mandibuzz) / Gustav (Amoonguss) / Geno (Genesect)
Hugh: Flygon / Serperior / Magmortar / Carracosta / Heracross / Tornadus-Therian
Now, moving forward, I do have one big question for all of you. It concerns how I do my usual replies to reviews. I was thinking of maybe changing it up so that it didn't feel so intrusive or in the way, like maybe put it at the ending AN. What do you guys think? Should I put it down here? Should I just not do them at all and just let you all get to the story as quickly as possible? (In this case I'll just leave a general thank you to everyone who reviewed at the end), or is it fine as it is right now? Genuinely curious, as this will be in effect after this chapter. Let me know how you think I should do this.
And like I promised, with Pride of Your Soul's main story having reached the end, Fidelity and Platinum Witch will resume from its hiatus! Damn I kept those waiting.
And lastly, I'm going to hold one final Q&A! You're all free to ask me questions about the story, the characters, and whatnot, just like the last two times. Please limit yourself to a max of two questions though, and I cannot answer any question that'll spoil anything for future stories (I'll only give a vague confusing answer at best). I'll be taking questions in the reviews, in PMs and in the discord server until the end of October, 10/31.
Thank you to each and every one of you for your support throughout the long trek; to everyone who reviewed, critiqued, favorite/followed, or just simply took the time to check out Pride of Your Soul. Honestly I did not expect it to take off and become as successful as it did (with nearly 400 reviews at the time of writing this AN). Honestly I could call this my magnum opus; it even outdid Color Of Your Soul as a whole. I probably would not have continued this without the overwhelming positive support from you guys. I will do my best to maintain and improve the quality of my writing so that you all can keep enjoying my stories. It's the least I can do for you all. I hope that you all enjoy my other stories as well, along with stories to come in the future.
Thank you all for sticking with me to the very end, once again. Hopefully I'll see you guys in the extra chapters, or in Fidelity/Platinum Witch or any other story I end up doing.
Until then, see ya next time and take care.